Welcome to Chef Kevin's Culinary Rants & Raves. Here you will find some Peoria area restaurant reviews, topics affecting restaurants, just me babbling on about something, announcements of where I will be cooking and whatever else I feel like typing about.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Anyone who really knows me, knows I'm a heat freak. It can rarely be hot enough. When the waitress at Buffalo Wild Wings insinuated a friend of mine and I were wimps, I told her to bring on the hottest wings they had. She told me I was wasting my money. Ok, I teared up and my nose rivaled Niagra Falls, but I put them down. And not down in 45 minutes. One after the next in about 15 minutes. She was stunned and had to recognize....

So, I come home from work tonight. The extent of food intake for the day was some trail mix at work. So, burgers with BBQ'ed onions and bacon were the ticket. However, that sounded bland. I need a rush. I needed some smoky, burning goodness. So, to the BBQ onions I added some chipotle pepper powder. Because I knew that would give it good smoke, but not a ton of heat, I got out the Asian chile paste and dolloped in a teaspoon. Ok, the two combined in a pre "put on the burger taste test" would liven things up, but Mind boggling? Not close. I have a few bottles of insanely hot stuff in the fridge. Things like "Pure Cap" which is the oil derived from the seeds of Habanero peppers. Used to be the hottest thing on the planet. The last I read, it has been surpassed. There were a few precious drops of Inner Beauty hot sauce that is no longer made. No, need that for a special occasion. There are a few others. But then, in the back or the fridge, I see this bottle. Pete's F.O.A.D. Sauce. That's right, its named Fuck off and Die. I tried to add a few drops. Its kind of a thick sauce and that didn't happen. I got a fairly big glop of the stuff. Now a sane person would have thought "Wow, that is going to be so damned hot, it would melt all the snow and ice in the Artic, I should throw this out and start over". Me: I'm thinking "That is my last 1/2 onion, I want bacon, BBQ AND onions, so fuck it, I'm eating it".

But WHEW HOOOOOO!!!!! Damn thats a rush!!! F n' A!!!! I'm more awake right now than I was all day!! Who the hell needs triple espressos, Red Bull (or the new drink called Cocaine) or well, "coke" itself when you got this? Holy Lord. WHEW HOOOOOOOO!!!

But then, the mother of a close friend of mine would have tried this and said, "Is this hot?" I kid you not and there were witnesses to this. The woman was using the aforementioned Pure Cap to dip French Fries in.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Yeah, it isn't a food post, but its not really a "It Just Slays Me" Post either.

After 11 years, Bob Seger releases a new album. I grew up listening to this guy and thot throat cancer was going to be his demise. True to form, the CD is a combination of ballads, rockers, boogie woogie and a little country twang. Not his best work, not his worst, but I'd rather listen to Bob than most of the "music" out there today. I missed him on Leno (sometimes ya just gotta "love" work - yeah, I could have recorded it but I found out about it AT work).

He is one of very few artists that I always wanted, but never got to see in concert. However, he is planning to tour. Now how to afford tix prices that will probably reach the stratosphere...and I thought Fleetwood Mac reunion tix were high??

UPDATE!! I listened to this over and over heading back and forth to Indy for work. After Stranger in Town and Live Bullet 1, this is his best work. There are a few weak tracks, but DAMN this is a good CD. If you are like me and are tired of the bullshit music nowadays, pick this up, you won't be disappointed.

I went to Fazoli's by the Metro Centre. I'm not a big fan of fast food with the exception of Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Panini. Real chicken (some of these fast food joints use chicken that resembles the "press and formed, parts is parts" spongy chicken like chicken breasts), romaine lettuce, tomato and a sauce that had just a bit of zip to it. It was on toasted herbed focaccia style bread. It was a darn tasty sandwich and I have to say it was far better than I expected. However, it and a large drink set my back almost $8. Bit steep. While pretty darned tasty and is most likey better than most fast food joints' offerings, it doesn't reach my "Peoria's eschelon of superior sandwiches" (Fedora's New Yorker, the Gebby Burger at Schooners, the Waterford Chicken at Donnelley's, pulled pork sandwich at The Smo-king Pit, the Beamish Beef at Kellehers or "The King's Cut" at The Butcher Block), but I will have it again.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Over the last few weeks, for whatever reasons, I've been to a few of the Chinese Buffets around town\East Peoria. All I can say is "Why do people eat here?".

Ok, it goes without saying that a lot of Central Illinoisians believe more, no matter what the quality, is better at the cheapest price. And given, you aren't subjected to just one menu item. And yet again, most of these places have a pretty darn good salad bar, which the last time I went, is pretty much all I consumed, well, except I raided the sushi bar to the point I thot I might find myself removed to the parking lot. I don't remember any chopsticks either, but if you are shoveling it in, I guess a fork works better. I guess if I wanted them....

I dunno. All the foods taste pretty much the same. In culinary school, we had several days of Chinese cooking during our "Pacific Rim" portion of ethnic training. We had Chef Cheng as an instructor and it was RARE that anything tasted the same. Not that it had to do with preparing Chinese cuisine, but this woman could de-bone a chicken with a Chinese cleaver in under two minutes. I shit ya not.

So, if I need a quick fix, it's back to the little joint on the corner of Knoxville and Nebraska: China Express. I ordered something that was listed as "spicy" on the menu and they asked me if I wanted it spicy. I said "as spicy as you want to make it, I'm sure I can eat it". I LOVE spicy food. Well, I about blew my freekin' eyeballs out, so I won't be doing THAT again, but DAMN if that wasn't good!! They are friendly, fast & reasonable.

If I want something a bit more upscale, I'll head to Sushi Popo. Or if I'm feeling up to it, I'll buy the pre-cut ingredients off of Schnucks salad bar and go home and whoop it up myself.